Fudgy Buckeye Peanut Butter Bars

Transforming the iconic buckeye dessert into fudgy bar cookies topped with a whipped peanut butter filling, toasted peanuts, chocolate fudge, and sea salt flakes.

I don’t know about you but I grew up where making Buckeye cookies was a holiday must. While they are awesome I thought, “I can elevate this!”

This post is being sponsored by my friends at Rodelle featuring their amazing Rodelle Gourmet Baking Cocoa. As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting partnerships with brands I trust and believe in.

If you’re not familiar with these treats they are little balls of whipped peanut butter no-bake cookie dough then it’s almost fully dipped in chocolate to make it look like an actual buckeye.

To transform that iconic dessert I went with a fudgy cookie base, the classic peanut butter filling, salted peanuts, and the most amazing fudge topping.

Rodelle Is A Baking Must

It’s simply not the holidays without my favorite Rodelle products, Heck, it’s not a typical day of the week without using at least one of their products.

Simply put, as a Chef, Rodelle Gourmet Baking Cocoa is the best cocoa I’ve ever used. It’s consistent, has the most amazing flavors, and is always, ALWAYS exceptional.

Due to it being Dutch-processed, it is rich in flavor and appearance. Quality is key for cocoa and with theirs having the highest levels of cocoa butter on the market, they are able to ensure superior chocolate flavor

Grab Your Ingredients

Naturally, the star of this recipe is Rodelle Gourmet Baking Cocoa. I’ve been using this product for decades. It’s absolutely one of the most important ingredients in your pantry for both sweet and savory dishes!

• Dry Ingredients – Rodelle Gourmet Baking Cocoa, sugar, leavening agents, and salt
• Dairy – eggs, and butter
• Chocolate Extract
• Chocolate – I prefer a mixture of callets and chopped chocolates
• Sweetened Condensed Milk
• Sea Salt Flakes

Make the Cookie Base

1. Add the eggs, extract, and sugars whisking to combine in a bowl.
2. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, Rodelle Gourmet Baking Cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add that to the sugar mixture and give it a little mix together with a spatula.
3. Pour in the melted butter and mix until it becomes a thick cookie dough.
4. Add in the chopped chocolate and callets and mix into the dough.

5. Spray a 9×13″ pan with cooking spray then foil (make sure to leave a 1″ overhang all the way around). Add the dough to the pan, and spread it around into an even layer.
6. Pop the pan into a preheated oven and bake for 23-27 minutes. You want the cookie base to be soft but not gooey. It will firm up more upon cooling.

Make the Buckeye Filling

While the cookie base is baking, make the buckeye filling. The key to making this is to start with room-temperature butter.

1. In a large bowl cream together the peanut butter and butter until it’s very smooth and creamy.
2. Add in confectioners’ sugar and, with the mixer on low, start to incorporate the sugar until it becomes thick and spreadable.

Now I know what you’re thinking… just eat the cookie base as-is and then grab a spoon to dive into the buckeye filling but sadly you really need to spread it on the cookie base.

You’re going to spread all of the peanut butter filling on top of the cookie bar. Smooth it out into an even layer.

Once it’s all spread out, sprinkle on toasted peanuts and press them gently into the buckeye filling.

Dutch Processed Cocoa

So what is Dutch Processed cocoa anyway? Dutch-Processed cocoa is when the powder is treated with alkali to change the pH of the product. The more alkalization means the darker the cocoa.

Also noteworthy, Rodelle also offers Organic Dutch-Processed Baking Cocoa. And yes folks, it too is pretty magically amazing!

Chocolate Fudge

This is my favorite fudge-style frosting/topping and the best part, it’s only 2 ingredients:

• Sweetened Condensed Milk
• Chopped Chocolate

Let’s Make Fudge Frosting

1. In a microwave bowl heat the sweetened condensed milk for 30-45 seconds.
2. Add in the chopped chocolate, and stir until fully melted. If needed, microwave for 10-15 seconds at a time.
3. Pour the fudge frosting over top and smooth it out.
4. Once it’s all smoothed out, sprinkle with sea salt flakes.

Chef’s Tip About Fudge Frosting

Now this will set up fast so once it’s fully melted, pour it all overtop the pan of buckeye bars and spread it out with a heated offset spatula.

I place the metal spatula in a tall glass of hot water. Right before spreading out the fudge frosting, I’ll take it out of the glass, wipe it dry, and then spread it out. The heat will help easily spread out the frosting.

Take a chill

While I know it’s tough, it’s really best to place this bad boy in the fridge and allow it to set fully before diving into it. An hour is what I find works best.

Time to Eat

Once the cookie is set, remove the pan from the fridge.

1. Grab the foil edges and gently lift the chilled cookie bar out of the pan.
2. Using a sharp knife, slice the bars into pieces.

Now, this is a rich dessert so I would advise cutting these into 1″ slices. So in a 9×13″ pan you’d make 4 long rows and then roughly 13-one-inch slices.

How to Store Fudgy Buckeye Bars

The beauty of these bars is that they can be stored cold (covered) or at room temp. Naturally, cover them so they don’t dry out.

Substitutions & Additions

So this is one of those recipes that, honestly, I wouldn’t change but I do have some pretty scrumptious ideas.

• Cookie Base – Chocolate chip cookie dough, peanut butter cookie dough, brownies, or blondies work
• Peanut Butter Layer – any nut butter works
• Crunchy Additions – toasted nuts of any type, rice cereal, crushed pretzels, crispy bacon (hey I don’t judge!)
• Fudge Topping – seriously no, don’t skip this. Try all dark chocolate or even white chocolate for a different spin.

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